Nuclear Power Plants History

Nuclear power plants are a form of energy production first developed using technology from the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. The energy utilizes radioactive material bombarded by neutrons in an effort to create nuclear fission. This fission has the side effect of producing vast amounts of power that can be harnessed into electricity for the power grid. Although the technology went through a great era of advancements during the mid-20th century, a series of accidents led to a decline in research and construction of nuclear power plants.

Origins

After the first neutron bombardment of uranium was achieved in 1932 by Enrico Fermi, the result was nuclear fission, the splitting of an atom into smaller parts. Soon, Leo Szilard determined that a self-sustaining nuclear reaction could occur after an initial fission reaction. This led to speculation about a nuclear chain reaction. In order to study this effect more efficiently, both Fermi and Szilard emigrated to the United States and helped create the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1. On December 2, 1942, the reactor was activated, beginning a new level of research on the Manhattan Project and essentially creating the world's first nuclear power plant.

Nuclear Power

Electrical power was first created by a nuclear power plant on December 20, 1951 with the production of 100 killowatts from the Arco Reactor in Idaho. Three years later, the Soviet Union became the first country to implement power production for its power grid. The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant produced five megawatts of electricity according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. By 1955, a number of scientists, engineers and politicians pushed for the further expansion of nuclear energy. President Dwight Eisenhower gave a speech entitled "Atoms for Peace," which focused on the peaceful harnessing of nuclear power and the Geneva Conference established parameters by which nations would develop the technology.

Expansion

During the 1960s and 1970s, the main focus of scientists was to expand the capacity of nuclear power plants. While the average plant in 1960 could produce only a single gigawatt, within two decades, the average plant was producing over 100 gigawatts. The oil crisis of 1973 had a major effect on a number of countries throughout the world. Many nations relied heavily on fossil fuels for power, but with the onset of the crisis, the push for nuclear power plants as a substitute was made. One example of a country that used the crisis as a reason to expand its capacity is France. In 1971, oil supplied the nation with approximately 39 percent of its power. By 2006, France had replaced nearly 80 percent of power source with nuclear plants.

Disasters

Two nuclear power plant disasters caused a major shift in public perception of nuclear power. In 1976, an accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania caused a partial core meltdown. A pressurized water reactor released radioactive gases and iodine-131 to the community near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was followed in 1986, with the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. The Chernobyl disaster resulted in the release of four hundred times the fallout of the Hiroshima atomic bombing according to the Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Decline

Following the two disasters, the United States halted its expansion of nuclear power plants across the nation. A total of 63 nuclear power plants according to the Department of Energy. Much of this was the result of public demand, however, the Brookings Institution reported in its September 2004 policy report stated that the production of nuclear power plants resulted in 15 to 30 percent higher costs than coal and natural gas plants over the lifetime of the facility. Other countries, such as Ireland and Poland, have chosen to prevent the creation of a nuclear industry through legislation, further limiting the growth of nuclear proliferation.

References

• From Obninsk Beyond
• French Power Usage
• The Political Economy of Nuclear Power

Resources

• Rise and Fall of Nuclear Power
• The History of Nuclear Energy
• History of Nuclear Power Plant Safety